American History X Page #2

YOUNG COP:

(smiling)

He's forty? Jesus.

RASMUSSEN:

Pretty clean record...runs everything

out of his house down by the beach.

SWEENEY:

There weren't any organized white

gangs around Venice before those two

hooked up. Very few, if any. It was

mostly just black and Mexican. But it

was tiny. They hit it off though...

and Alexander hit the jackpot with

Derek.

Rasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR.

RASMUSSEN:

We got some uncut footage here.

Courtesy of NBC.

ON THE TELEVISION--

REPORTER:

Earlier this evening...LA County

Firefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot

and killed while putting out a fire in

a suspected Compton drug den.

RASMUSSEN:

(to the group)

This being February of '90.

EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE

A YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands

next to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High

Basketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck,

he thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera.

REPORTER:

To my right I have Lieutenant

Vinyard's oldest son Derek.

(to Derek)

How do you feel about all this, son?

DEREK:

How do I feel? How do you think I

feel? It's typical.

REPORTER:

Typical how, Derek?

DEREK:

Well...look at our country. It's a

haven for criminals. Black...brown...

yellow...whatever.

REPORTER:

So you're saying the murder of your

father is "race" related?

DEREK:

Every problem in this country is

"race" related. Every problem, not

just crime. These problems are rooted

in the black community, the Hispanic

community, the Asian...every non-

Protestant group in our society.

(then)

Look at the sh*t. Immigration...

welfare...AIDS...they're all the

problems of the non-white. Look at

the statistics.

REPORTER:

Most of these issues you're referring

to though son are related to--

DEREK:

(interrupting)

No no no! Don't say poverty right now

cause that's not it. They're not a

product of our f***ing environment

either! Minorities don't give two

shits about this country! They're

here to exploit...not embrace.

RASMUSSEN (O.S)

(over reporter's question)

When Alexander got his hands on this

segment...he copied it, sent it out

and it became the Gettysberg Address

for hate groups across the country.

BACK TO THE TELEVISION.

DEREK:

Millions of white Europeans came to

this country and flourished within a

generation! A generation! So what

the f*** is wrong with these people?!

REPORTER:

What does any of this have to do with

your father?

DEREK:

Because my father was doing his

f***ing job! Saving a n*gger

neighborhood he didn't give two shits

about! And he got killed by some drug

dealer who still collects a f***ing

welfare check.

Derek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER

DORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as

he puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside

their Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to

the reporter who just stands there, speechless.

INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME

Rasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and

he turns it off.

RASMUSSEN:

Vinyard was quietly released from

Chino on Saturday after three and some

odd years. And I think it's something

we might want to keep an eye on for a

few days.

SWEENEY:

I don't wanna be an alarmist. But

payback is out there. I know it is.

And in this particular case...if

Vinyard gets popped...more people will

get popped.

RASMUSSEN:

It's not exactly LAPD policy but I

want 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard

for a few days.

COP #2

(smiling in disbelief)

Twenty-four hour surveillance, sir?

RASMUSSEN:

Just for a few days.

ANOTHER COP:

He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here,

Captain. You want us to bust him or

protect him?

Rasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question.

SWEENEY:

I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the

one to start anything. It's his

following.

RASMUSSEN:

Either way...let's keep it low.

CUT TO:

EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING

PEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman

headphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that

doesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles

north to get a better break on the next set. Danny

watches as he skateboards down the strand.

His appearance is changed, now resembling a younger,

softer Derek.

Head shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN

WHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all

over it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M.,

and Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver

off to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON.

CUT TO:

EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL

Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their

bikes and head off to class.

EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER

Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns

to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman.

LIZZY:

Hi Danny.

DANNY:

Hey Lizzy.

The two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS.

CUT TO:

INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL

Danny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads "It wasn't

me!" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the

bathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a

young black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny

zips up and faces them.

LITTLE HENRY:

(to a terrified Daryl)

Tellin' Baker I'm f***in' cheatin'?

I've never cheated in my life.

BUDDY #1

Beat his ass, Henry!

LITTLE HENRY:

Why you trippin' on me?

DARYL:

I didn't say anything, Henry. I

swear.

BUDDY #2

He's lying, man! I was right there!

Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically

knocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl

struggles to his hands and knees behind Danny.

LITTLE HENRY:

Next time, man.

Danny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv

helps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS.

CUT TO:

INT. CLASS - SAME

Kids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in

and tries to be discrete.

OFFSCREEN VOICE:

Vinyard!?

An OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board

for the students to solve.

OLDER TEACHER:

You're late.

The man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to

Danny.

OLD TEACHER:

But it looks like you got bigger

problems.

DANNY:

(reading the slip)

Oh, man! Come on. Get a job.

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